On April 22, 2019, a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Zambales and neighboring provinces, damaging heritage buildings such as the Santa Catalina de Siena Church of Porac in Pampanga, which suffered cracks and a collapsed belfry.

The damaged belfry’s fourth tier and dome were made of concrete, thus imposing a heavy load on the adobe structure below.

The Paete church (also known as Santiago Apostol Parish Church) authorities and community are looking to avoid the same architectural flaw, following the observation of cracks and dislodged adobe blocks in the church after the 6.6-magnitude earthquake on July 24, 2021 that struck off Calatagan, Batangas, and was felt in many provinces, including Laguna.

The most likely cause of damage is the cement dome of the belfry, which was added in the 1980s by the then National Historical Institute. Its forerunner, the Philippines Historical Committee, marked the church in 1939.

As the church needs urgent help for the restoration and perhaps the reconstruction of the topmost level of its belfry, the Paete parish established Project Ayukod on Aug. 15, 2021. Local historian John Joven Cajipe said ayukod is the piece of stick used to support an andas (shoulder-borne carriage) when its lifters are at rest.

Last June 10, 10 Paete-native priests, former and current parochial vicars and the Santiago Apostol parish choir held the “Himig ng Pag-asa” concert at the Paete Elementary School to raise funds for the project.

The parish said the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) allowed them to raise funds as the former has no resources for the project. At least P2.5 million is needed for the repair of the church, plus P300,000 for the repair of the church roof, which was affected by Severe Tropical Storm “Jolina” (international name: Conson) on Sept. 8, 2021.

Sacred art

Apart from the concert, Cajipe said other projects to support the restoration include direct solicitations, parish merchandise and the “Alay Parol para sa Kampanaryo” in Christmas 2023. A number of local and international benefactors are also donating to the project.

According to Cajipe, aside from the belfry, the church needs help in its roofing, ceiling, electrical network, water drainage system and aesthetics, and that these need government attention through technical and financial support.

Cajipe, who is also part of the Parish Pastoral Council, said the belfry project is just waiting to collect P1.2 million for the reinforcement work to commence. The quotation and description for the project was provided by the contractor recommended by NHCP.

“We hope that once the fund is completed, our coordination with and the approval of the NHCP of the contractor’s plan will be quick,” he said.

Also needing restoration are four murals inside the church, declared collectively by the National Museum (NM) as a national cultural treasure (NCT) (Sacred Art of the Parish Church of Santiago Apostol) in 2015.

Of these, said Cajipe, only the mural of San Cristobal on wooden panels is going to be restored for now by the NHCP, though the fund granted by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), per NHCP, is still inadequate to restore one painting.

The painting, mishandled during a restoration attempt by local artists about 10 years ago, was executed by local artist Jose Dans around the mid-19th century with another panel painting, “Heaven, Hell and Purgatory.”

The two other paintings inside the church, by unknown artists, depict San Miguel on wood near the altar area, and an indigenous interpretation of San Cristobal on the Gospel side of the church below the choir loft.

As-is plan

Cajipe said the church would like to have a dialogue with both the NCCA and NHCP for them to know the exact figures needed for the entire project. The NM could also help, as it is the agency which declared the four panels as NCT, he added.

“Our desire is to restore the whole church and former convent, now school, which was declared by the NHCP as a national historical site since 1939,” he said.

“Maybe the government agencies can help us start the process by acquiring the ‘as-is plan’ of the church, as this is the first requirement for the restoration project,” he added.

The as-is plan, or properly the as-built plan, is an architectural document showing the existing dimensions and current state of a structure.

Cajipe said the NHCP allowed them to commission the plan from a private architect or engineer, but that they need guidance from the NHCP on “how to make the restoration of the whole church and convent possible.”

Paete’s present church and its convent dates back to the 18th century.

It was repaired in the 19th century, with renovations to its convent done by Fr. Luis de Nambroca, OFM, the parish priest from 1839 to 1843 and 1847. —CONTRIBUTED